Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Ireland's national action programme was formally submitted to the European Commission in July, and regulations giving legal effect to it are being finalised following a consultation process. Ireland is also proceeding with the case for a derogation designed to allow certain farmers to operate, under appropriate conditions and controls, up to a level of 250 kg of organic nitrogen per hectare per annum. The derogation proposes to cater for grassland farms. Discussions with the Commission on the derogation are under way.

While the implementation of the action programme will certainly have implications for farmers, I have taken important measures to alleviate the impact on the sector. I have announced proposals for a revised farm waste management scheme for which EU approval is now being sought. The improved scheme will increase the grant rate for both animal housing and slurry storage from the current rate of 40% to 60%, with 70% being available in some counties.

Other elements of the scheme will include significantly higher investment ceilings, the extension of the scheme to sectors such as pigs and poultry and the removal of any minimum income requirement from farming from the scheme. I hope early approval of the scheme will be forthcoming from the European Commission so that it can be introduced quickly. I also intend to introduce a scheme to support the demonstration of new technologies to help the agriculture sector meet the requirements of the nitrates directive.

Some concerns have been expressed about the impact of the directive on the pig and poultry sectors where many of the larger producers do not have enough land of their own to use the manure they produce. I am acutely conscious of the need for pig farmers to continue to have adequate spreadlands for pig slurry. I have therefore asked Teagasc to undertake a very active promotion campaign to demonstrate the nutrient value of slurry and the savings that farmers can achieve by substituting it for chemical fertiliser. I will urge REPS planners to encourage their clients to use pig manure on their farms. I will also seek to ensure that the necessary record keeping and inspection regimes are kept to what is strictly necessary.

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